Israel Secretly Helping Syrian Rebels?

Pesach Benson

Is Israel developing a buffer zone in Syria by secretly supplying rebels near the border with food, medical assistance and money? That’s what the Wall St. Journal (click via Twitter) reports. It’s remarkable that Syrian rebels now speak on the record about their relationship with Israel.

The Israeli army is in regular communication with rebel groups and its assistance includes undisclosed payments to commanders that help pay salaries of fighters and buy ammunition and weapons, according to interviews with about half a dozen Syrian fighters. Israel has established a military unit that oversees the support in Syria—a country that it has been in a state of war with for decades—and set aside a specific budget for the aid, said one person familiar with the Israeli operation . . .

“Israel stood by our side in a heroic way,” said Moatasem al-Golani, spokesman for the rebel group Fursan al-Joulan, or Knights of the Golan. “We wouldn’t have survived without Israel’s assistance.”

Israel’s aim is to keep Iran-backed fighters allied to the Syrian regime, such as the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, away from the 45-mile stretch of border on the divided Golan Heights, the three people said.

Israeli soldiers training in the Golan Heights, 2014